The St. Louis Cardinals may be limping through the National League race, but the road ahead is about as forgiving as it gets.
That matters because August has been a grind. St.
Louis has already dealt with road series against the New York Yankees, the Chicago Cubs and the Philadelphia Phillies, plus a five-game trip to Cincinnati to face the Reds. It has not been a soft landing, and the injury luck has not helped.
Still, the schedule flips in a big way from here. No team in the National League has an easier remaining slate than the Cardinals, and that gives St. Louis a real shot to claw back ground.
The next step comes Tuesday, when the Cardinals open a three-game home series against the 63-68 Baltimore Orioles. Baltimore will come through St. Louis before the Pirates, who sit at 63-69, head out of town.
After that homestand, St. Louis gets one last meeting with the Los Angeles Dodgers this season, then heads to Coors Field with a chance to sweep the 50-81 Colorado Rockies. From there, the road trip continues into San Francisco, where the Giants have only 52 wins and just five victories in August.
Back home, the Cardinals will face the Chicago White Sox in what is described as a tough series, then get another crack at San Francisco. The final home series of the season brings in the 62-71 Washington Nationals.
St. Louis finishes the year on the road against the Pirates in Pittsburgh and the Brewers in Milwaukee, a stretch that could feature a first-place club choosing to rest regulars ahead of a World Series push.
Overall, the Cardinals’ final 30 opponents have a combined winning percentage of .484. They have only three series left against teams with winning records, and one of those could come against a team that has already locked up the No. 1 seed.
The mood in St. Louis is still shaky.
The Cardinals were just swept, and they also coughed up a huge lead in the ninth inning. Add in the pitching injuries, and there’s plenty going wrong.
But the schedule gives them something to lean on. At the very least, the path ahead offers room for optimism.
In Other News...
Masyn Winn Injury Adds More Pressure To Cardinals Wild Card Push
The Cardinals left Philadelphia licking their wounds after a three-game sweep, capped by a ninth-inning collapse that made a frustrating trip feel even heavier. At .500 and still 5 1/2 games back in the Wild Card chase, St. Louis does not have much margin for error as it turns to a series with the Orioles and tries to steady itself before the stretch run tightens any further.
Now the lineup may have to navigate another concern, with Masyn Winn dealing with a thumb injury after sliding into a base and set to undergo an MRI to determine the extent of it. Winns health matters not just because of what he brings at shortstop, but because the Cardinals need every bit of stability they can find while trying to close a gap that has only become more daunting. [Read more 🡒]
Cardinals May Have Found Unexpected Power Help In Their Infield
The Cardinals youth movement is starting to feel a little more real, and Jess Bez is one of the names helping fuel that optimism. With St. Louis carrying one of the youngest rosters in baseball and a farm system ranked second by Baseball America, the organization has plenty of pathways to improvement, but infield depth with some pop is always going to draw attention. Bez, the clubs No. 15 prospect, has become a player worth watching because of the combination he brings to the table.
What stands out most is the kind of offensive upside that can change the conversation around an infield group. Bez recently delivered a three-homer game in Double-A, a reminder that his bat can create noise in a hurry, and his versatility gives the Cardinals another reason to keep him on the radar as they sort through future roles. He is still a prospect, of course, but performances like that make it easier to picture how the next wave might help reshape the roster. [Read more 🡒]
Alec Burleson Just Made Cardinals Trade Rumors Feel More Personal
Alec Burleson has spent this season looking like more than just a useful piece for the Cardinals. Hes putting together the best year of his career on both sides of the ball, and that kind of progress naturally put his name into the trade chatter as the deadline approached. For a team still trying to sort out its next core, Burlesons breakout made him one of the more intriguing players on the roster.
What made the rumors hit a little harder was how openly tied Burleson feels to St. Louis. He made it clear a move would have been difficult because of that connection, which gave the deadline talk a more personal edge than the usual speculation around a productive bat. The Cardinals ultimately kept him, a choice that says plenty about how they view him going forward and why he remains a significant part of their plans. [Read more 🡒]